If you have been involved in training for any length of time, chances are you are aware of some of the benefits of an LMS.

However, there are a surprising number of organizations that have either resisted implementing a Learning Management System, or, are unaware of the vast benefits an LMS provides – both financially, as well as in its effectiveness for managing training and learning.

One can certainly craft a list of dozens if not a hundred realized benefits they have experienced once they implemented an LMS for their organization. For our purposes, here are a few of the most common benefits that nearly all organizations will experience.

The other day I had the chance to sit down for a bit with an old colleague. We spent some time reminiscing about the old days and I was excited to hear that he is still with the company and enjoying what he does. Then came the fun part.

He asked about what I was doing now. What was I up to after all this time?

Lately I have had the opportunity to meet with and talk with several of my peers from the eLearning world. We spent some time talking shop and going over all the up’s and down’s of what we do each day while also sharing about some of the more exciting projects we’ve had over the years. That was the fun part! I always love to hear about how other people work and what they are working on at any given time. But what really stuck out to me during these conversations was the fact that each person I talked with admitted to struggling with the same issue……time.

Recently I was asked by a good friend of mine to help review one of their new courses. The project was for an important client and they wanted to make sure they had everything exactly right before they submitted.

As someone who has been there before I was only too happy to help. I opened up the file and started working my way through only to find my mind wandering. It didn’t matter what I did, I couldn’t focus on what I was reading. That’s a problem my friends. In fact, it is one of the biggest red flags I look for when I am editing and reviewing content.

I love the looks I get from people when I tell them what I do for a living. It’s kind of a blank, yet knowing stare, mixed with a head nod that clearly says “Oh! You’re a writer.”

Then, when I add eLearning into the mix I tend to lose them completely. Why? Because in truth most people outside of the eLearning industry have no idea what it really looks like to make a career out of writing content and teaching others via technology.

The other day I had the chance to attend the monthly meeting of a local professional group. This is not a group I belong to, but I know several of the members and they were hoping to learn more about eLearning and how they could utilize it within their organizations. And, since I love getting the chance to share what I do with a captive audience, I was thrilled to volunteer my time and share my heart at their very well catered luncheon.

So, when the time came I hopped up to a smattering of applause and headed up front to give my talk. It went great! The audience was receptive, the questions were thoughtful and you could literally hear a pin drop throughout the room as they listened to every word I had to share. Continue reading Taking Your E-Learning Social

I’ve just read the most recent report from Tagoras regarding the Learning Management System market, and I thought it would be a good way to highlight some of the benefits of the Axis LMS.

The report was based on the responses of 20 LMS vendors, and it has some interesting (and quite honestly, a bit shocking) stats pertaining to average LMS costings that I thought I’d share:

The average first year cost for a Learning Management System ranges from:

$22,376 for 500 users

to $70,857 for unlimited usage

Across 3 years the costs averaged out at:

$43,889 for 500 users

$165,286 for unlimited usage

I found it interesting to read these statistics and compare them with our own product (Axis LMS) to see where we sit in comparison.

A typical nicely-configured 500-user system currently runs about $10,000/year, making it about $30,000 for a 3-year period (so the Axis LMS is $14,000 less than the 3-year average).

A typical nicely-configured Axis unlimited user LMS system runs about $25,000/year, making it about $75,000 for a 3-year period (so the Axis LMS is $90,000 less than the 3-year average).

If you are currently shopping for a Learning Management System, I suppose the LMS prices above do not shock you and/or are exactly what you are experiencing as you request price information from potential LMS vendors. However, as someone who doesn’t actively shop for Learning Management Systems, these numbers came as a complete shock to me. I realized that the Axis LMS was more budget-friendly than most other LMS systems, but really had no idea that the difference was so large.

I am hoping that the large savings may encourage you to consider the Axis LMS as a potential fit for your organization if you are currently in the market for an LMS.

Well not in Osaka, Japan. According to their tourist info site, Osaka is officially Wi-Fi enabled city-wide. It’s funny to think how two non-words linked together can bring us so much joy (especially when preceded by everybody’s favorite word: Free!), but we all know it’s more than just that polysyllabic title that means so much to us: behind the word Wi-Fi is access to the world beyond our own backyard. Continue reading Free Wi-Fi For Everyone!

As most of you may know, I tend to spend a good deal of time making my way around the Internet researching the latest and greatest that E-Learning has to offer. The point is two fold. First, I enjoy it. Second, it allows me to keep up with the industry as a whole while also learning about any key or trending issues. And right now there is a huge issue that is dominating the world of education. Want to know the biggest issue in education?

The way we learn is outdated. There! I said it. Don’t agree with me? Then let’s talk about it.

My personnel argument begins way back in college. (Okay, not toooooo far back, but you get the picture.) There was a psychology class I had to take if I wanted to graduate. Not something I was excited about, but there was no way around it.

So I made out my schedule and soon found myself all lined up with 47 other students who were ready, well maybe not ready but certainly willing, to learn right along with me. Why does the number matter? Because that made a total of 48 of us all spread out over a classroom that often doubled as an auditorium. Continue reading Applying Gameification to E-Learning

The other day I was hanging out at a friend’s house and noticed their high schooler didn’t budge from the kitchen table the entire time I was there. Never having seen any teenager sit still for that long I couldn’t help but go over and see what was going on.

It didn’t take long for me to find the problem. Homework. Bleh.

As soon as I sat down the kid looked up at me with glazed eyes that told me nothing they were reading was sinking in. There was no retention going on. None. In that moment it was all about getting it done as fast as possible so they never had to think about it again. Continue reading Flipping the K-12 Model?

One of the topics we have spent quite a bit of time talking about around here is participants. Namely, learning how to keep your focus on your participants and create initiatives that clearly meet their needs. This sounds great! There’s only one problem.

Okay, I have a story to tell. It’s one I’m not particularly proud of, but it’s mine nonetheless and I’m going to own it.

A few weeks ago my niece was begging me to play Monopoly with her. You all know the game. The seemingly never-end game made up of endless trips around the board and ill fated hopes that you can either hit it rich or go ahead and end the misery by landing on Boardwalk and handing everything you own to the player on your left. Continue reading Games Based Learning in the E-Learning World

One of the things that pops up time and time again when talking about E-Learning is the topic of effective writing. Namely, what does effective writing look like?

It seems like a simple question, but the answer is not as easy as one might think. Why? Because the idea of effective is extremely subjective. Not only that, but what may be effective in one situation would be completely inappropriate in another. Continue reading 3 Types of Writing for Effective E-Learning